Note: You will only see this box once.

We would like to invite you to sign up for the completely free Apples4theteacher.com Newsletter! Join our other 480,975 readers.

Subscribers are automatically registered to receive free teaching resources including lesson plan ideas, printables and more. Stay informed of all our new resources as they're developed...we have some exciting features coming in 2018!

P.S.. To officially become a newsletter subscriber, be sure to confirm your subscription by responding to the email we send you.

Father's
Day Short
Stories for Kids
Printable Children's Literature

Father's
Day Short
Stories

The Adventures of Pinocchio - Chapter
11

In the theater, great excitement reigned.

Fire Eater (this was really his name) was very ugly,
but he was far from being as bad as he looked. Proof of
this is that, when he saw the poor Marionette being
brought in to him, struggling with fear and crying, "I
don't want to die! I don't want to die!" he felt sorry
for
him and began first to waver and then to weaken. Finally,
he could control himself no longer and gave a loud sneeze.

At that sneeze, Harlequin, who until then had been
as sad as a weeping willow, smiled happily and leaning
toward the Marionette, whispered to him:

"Good news, brother mine!
Fire Eater has sneezed
and this is a sign that he feels sorry for you.
You are saved!"

For be it known, that, while other people, when sad
and sorrowful, weep and wipe their eyes, Fire Eater, on
the other hand, had the strange habit of sneezing each
time he felt unhappy. The way was just as good as any
other to show the kindness of his heart.

"Thanks! Are your father
and mother still living?"
demanded Fire Eater.

"My father, yes. My mother
I have never known."

"Your poor father would
suffer terribly if I were to
use you as firewood. Poor old man! I feel sorry for
him! E--tchee! E--tchee! E--tchee!" Three more sneezes
sounded, louder than ever.

"God bless you!" said
Pinocchio.

"Thanks! However, I ought
to be sorry for myself,
too, just now. My good dinner is spoiled. I have no
more wood for the fire, and the lamb is only half cooked.
Never mind! In your place I'll burn some other Marionette.
Hey there! Officers!"

At the call, two wooden officers appeared, long and
thin as a yard of rope, with queer hats on their heads
and swords in their hands.

Fire Eater yelled at them in a hoarse voice:

"Take Harlequin, tie him,
and throw him on the fire.
I want my lamb well done!"

Think how poor Harlequin felt! He was so scared
that his legs doubled up under him and he fell to the floor.

Pinocchio, at that heartbreaking sight, threw himself
at the feet of Fire Eater and, weeping bitterly, asked
in a pitiful voice which could scarcely be heard:

"Have pity, I beg of you,
signore!"

"There are no signori here!"

"Have pity, kind sir!"

"There are no sirs here!"

"Have pity, your Excellency!"

On hearing himself addressed as your Excellency, the
Director of the Marionette Theater sat up very straight
in his chair, stroked his long beard, and becoming suddenly
kind and compassionate, smiled proudly as he said to Pinocchio:

"Well, what do you want
from me now, Marionette?"

"I beg for mercy for my
poor friend, Harlequin, who
has never done the least harm in his life."

"There is no mercy here,
Pinocchio. I have spared
you. Harlequin must burn in your place. I am hungry
and my dinner must be cooked."

"In that case," said
Pinocchio proudly, as he stood
up and flung away his cap of dough, "in that case,
my
duty is clear. Come, officers! Tie me up and throw me
on those flames. No, it is not fair for poor Harlequin,
the best friend that I have in the world, to die in my
place!"

These brave words, said in a piercing voice, made all
the other Marionettes cry. Even the officers, who were
made of wood also, cried like two babies.

Fire Eater at first remained hard and cold as a piece
of ice; but then, little by little, he softened and began
to
sneeze. And after four or five sneezes, he opened wide
his arms and said to Pinocchio:

"You are a brave boy! Come
to my arms and kiss me!"

Pinocchio ran to him and scurrying like a squirrel up
the
long black beard, he gave Fire Eater a loving kiss on the
tip of his nose.

"Has pardon been granted to me?" asked
poor
Harlequin with a voice that was hardly a breath.

"Pardon is yours!" answered
Fire Eater; and sighing
and wagging his head, he added: "Well, tonight I shall
have to eat my lamb only half cooked, but beware the
next time, Marionettes."

At the news that pardon had been given, the
Marionettes ran to the stage and, turning on all the lights,
they danced and sang till dawn.

This story comes from The Adventures of Pinocchio, by
C. Collodi [Pseudonym of Carlo Lorenzini]